Providence Forge man to serve 14 months in jail for threatening to burn Charles City home

A Providence Forge man will spend the next 14 months in jail after receiving formal sentencing in Charles City Circuit Court Friday morning.

Richard Gene Wray Jr., 47, of the 14000 block of Crumptown Drive, learned his tenure behind bars on crimes of making a burn or bomb threat and misdemeanor destruction of property stemming from a Sept. 11, 2022 incident

During a Feb. 4 contested trial, Wray and Tiffany Talbert were residing in the same home when Talbert didn’t want to speak to Wray on the day of the incident. Talbert said Wray threatened to burn her vehicle and the house down before he grabbed a can of gasoline and started pouring it on a truck.

Talbert said she got into another one of her vehicles and locked herself in. As she did, Wray picked up a truck battery and hit it upside the passenger side glass window. Talbert drove away from the scene.

Wray testified that he was looking for an apology for an incident that occurred earlier in the day where he was forced to walk to work. The defendant added that his words were taken out of context, saying he was mentioning the couple’s relationship being burned down to the ground, not the house.

But at that trial, Judge William Shaw didn’t believe the story of Wray, saying that his story was not credible. The judge pointed to changes throughout Wray’s testimony, eventually leading to his conviction on both charges.

Wray received a 10-year sentence with eight years, 10 months suspended (one year, two months to serve) for making a burn/bomb threat. All 12 months on the misdemeanor destruction of property charge were suspended.

In another case, a Charles City man will spend two months in jail for committing his third offense of assaulting and battering a family member.

Leon Wesley Charity, 64, of the 3400 block of Barnetts Road, entered a guilty plea to the one count as part of a plea agreement.

In a summary of evidence, on Dec. 22, 2022, Charity had consumed alcohol and begin using vulgar language and derogatory remarks to family members at a function. When the defendant had fallen asleep, one of his family members struck them. Charity woke up and immediately punched the family member, causing a swollen eye. After an investigation, Charity was arrested, and background information revealed it was the defendant had committed two similar offenses in the past.

Under the agreement, Charity received a five-year sentence with four years, 10 months suspended on the conviction (two months to serve).